All Praise is due to Alláh, We praise Him and we seek help from Him. We ask forgiveness from Him. We repent to Him; and we seek refuge in Him from our own evils and our own bad deeds. Anyone who is guided by Alláh, he is indeed guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no god but Alláh, the Only One without any partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad, peace and blessings on him, is His servant, and His messenger.

O You who believe, – Be aware of Allah, and speak a straightforward word. He will forgive your sins and repair your deeds. And whoever takes Allah and His Prophet as a guide, has already achieved a mighty victory.

In the opening verse of Sura An-Nisaa’, Allah says:

“O mankind! Show reverence towards your Guardian-Lord Who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, his mate and from the two of them scattered (like seeds) countless men and women;― Be conscious of Allah, through Whom ye demand your mutual (rights) and (show reverence towards) the wombs (that bore you): for surely, Allah ever watches over you.”

My respected Brothers and Sisters,

As Ramadan approaches, we all must take stock of ourselves. It’s a good time to make sure that our body, mind, heart and soul are in good health. Ramadan is a much needed time for training our body, mind, heart and soul. Please allow me to remind myself first, then all of you:

Be aware of your inward state. Whatever we do here and now has consequences elsewhere, and perhaps, forever! We perceive the world around us through our five senses, but our senses are limited. Even through a whole lifetime we only experience a very small segment of reality. Even then, that reality, or rather, our perception of reality is coloured by our own prejudices, our limited knowledge and experience. But beyond the threshold of our senses is the realm of the ghaib or the Unseen. This realm is far more complex than we can possibly imagine.

For example, Prophet Muhammad said that whenever people are studying, seeking knowledge for Allah’s sake, then Allah’s angels are there, surrounding them with their wings. You and I cannot see the angels but they are certainly there, protecting us right now. In the same way, we cannot see the devils, the jinn, the subtle beings that try to mislead us from the Straight Path, the Sirat al mustaqeem. But they are there, nonetheless, waiting in ambush to entrap us!

We sometimes act under the influence of these dark forces, without even being aware of it. That’s why an entire Sura, Al-Naas, is devoted to our seeking Allah’s protection from Shaytaan, the Evil Whisperer who whispers evil inclinations into our hearts. That’s why, many times each day, we take refuge in Allah from Shaytaan, the Cursed One:

“A-oothu bil-Laahi minash shaytaanir rajeem!” We are taught to say this even before we say, “Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem!” In the Name of Allah, The All Merciful, the All Compassionate.”

Ayatul kursi, The Verse of the Throne, reminds us that no human being will gain any knowledge except what Allah has allowed. Allah has gifted some of His beloved servants with knowledge of the Unseen. For example, Sura Al Kahf we read about Sayyidna Khidr who had a deep innersight, the gift of Divine Wisdom. Allah gave him special knowledge of the Unseen, the realm of the ghaib. Moses, Prophet Musa alayhis salaam, had much to learn from him.

How can we protect ourselves from all these hidden dangers and dark forces that lay in wait for the unwary? How can we ensure a safe journey through this life so that we reach the goal of Allah’s Ridwaan, Allah’s good pleasure, in the next life? The answer is quite simple.

You and I have to do our do our regular good housekeeping. We must vacuum, scrub and polish our spiritual heart, the qalb. We must constantly remove the rust and debris that’s built up over the years: all the anger, the hate, jealousy, greed and vanity that pollute the innermost recesses of our spiritual hearts. We must ensure that the fu’ad, the kernel, the inner core of the spiritual heart, is pure and pristine as it was the day we were born. This job is never done. It’s a lifelong struggle. When we start to wage this jihad al nafs, the war against the Lower Self, then Allah will illuminate our hearts with wisdom, with love, with generosity with inner peace and contentment. This is how we can cultivate the ‘pure, sound heart,’ the qalb saleem that will open the door to Allah’s Garden, Al Jannah Firdaws. That’s were we all want to be, forever…

As the Holy Quran reminds us in Sura 26:89 (Al-Shu’ara, The Poets)

“Il-Laa man atal-Laaha bi qablin saleem.”

“None shall enter the Garden except those with a sound heart.”

My dear Sisters and Brothers, I pray that Allah will help you and me, and all our loved ones, to reach the end of our lives with a pure, sound heart. I pray that we will constantly be ready to leave this world and ready to enter the next world with full confidence and trust in Allah. Only when we are ready for our departure, then we qualify for a safe arrival!

No matter how stressful life may be, no matter how messy and confusing the world out there might be, we know that everything is in Allah’s good hands: “Biyadikal khayr.” “In His Hand is all good.” We know that Allah allows people to think they are in control. But that’s a delusion. Allah allows us all a little bit of control over our lives, and over the affairs of other people that Allah has entrusted to our care. But ultimately, Allah alone is always in full control of every part of His entire creation­, from the tiniest subatomic particle to the greatest cluster of galaxies and supernovae. “Wa huwa alaa kulli shay in qadeer!” says the Quran in so many places… “And Allah has power over all things.”

Sometimes people forget that. But true believers never forget The One Who has ultimate power and control. We can take real comfort from that faith, that re-assurance that the ups and downs of life are only tests of patience and gratitude from our generous Life-Giver.

“All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all the Worlds; may the greetings and peace be upon the best messenger, Muhammad, the unlettered prophet; and upon his family and upon all of his companions. Amma ba’ad, And, after this,

Behold, Allah and his angels shower blessings on the Prophet. O you who believe! Ask for blessings on him, and salute him with a worthy greeting.

O Allah! Send your greetings upon Muhammad and his family, just as you sent your greetings on Abraham, and his family. O Allah, send your blessings on Muhammad and his family, just as you blessed Abraham and his family. In both worlds, you are praiseworthy and exalted.”

“All glory is for Allah, and all praise is for Allah; There is no power and no strength except with Allah.”

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Finally, I want to say a word about our khutbahs here at the Jurgens Centre. All our khateebs are volunteers who try to provide a public service. None of us have trained as professional scholars and I consider myself the least qualified to stand here. It was never my intention to lead the Friday prayers. Allah is the best of planners. 20 years ago I was thrown in at the deep end when the imam couldn’t get to the Jumu’ah on time. I am well aware of my own limitations and I’m sure there must be, amongst you, others who are perfectly well qualified to deliver the khutbah. We need help. Sometimes our regular team is travelling or may be otherwise not available. If you can help us, or if you know someone who can, please come forward and speak to Brother Salim after the prayers. We need a backup team to ensure that there will always be at least one or two others available for Jumu’ah.

“Surely Allah commands justice, good deeds and generosity to others and to relatives; and He forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and rebellion: He instructs you, so that you may be reminded.” “and remember Me: I will remember you. Be grateful to Me, and do not reject faith.” “and without doubt, Remembrance of Allah is the Greatest Thing in life, and Allah knows the deeds that you do.”